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Cake or Death
One of the most powerful raider gangs in the Detroit Wasteland, Cake or Death rose to prominence under its current leader, Mrs Mothrapickles. Well dug in with a commanding location, the gang represents a major threat to traders and organised settlements throughout the city. Especially if they have cake. History What would become one of the biggest raider gangs in the Detroit Wasteland had a somewhat underwhelming origin. The gang started life as a juvenile street gang in Park Lane, led by Martha Pickles. A local girl with a taste for Fancy Lads Snack Cakes, Pickles had put together a small group largely for the purposes of toughing up other kids and stealing their baked goods. Most of the profits of their ‘operations’ went straight into Martha’s mouth. Initially they were considered to be little more than a nuisance and not a real threat to the town’s safety, but as Martha grew, her gang increased in power and influence. Soon the gang were engaged in standover operations, racketeering, assault and grand theft cupcake among other things. Eventually, the Park Lane Safety Patrol were forced to take action in order to maintain safety within the community. After a harsh crackdown, Cake or Death were forced to flee the community into the Detroit Wastelands. Despite their relative inexperience, the gang managed to survive largely thanks to its leader. Martha Pickles possessed a keen, objective-based mindset that, despite its focus on cake, was good at figuring out the best way to achieve what she wanted. For several months the gang laid low, moving across the city from location to location, hitting targets to take what they needed to stay alive. While the PLSP was no longer chasing them, they had to contend with other raiders, slavers, wild animals, insane robots and other such menaces. In June of 2282, the gang made its move. Having entered the territory of the Barrage Boys, at that point one of the larger gangs in the city, the remnants of Cake or Death had spent their time carefully measuring their enemies and their capabilities. Pickles explained that she had chosen them as her targets for a number of reasons, but key among them as their headquarters. The RNG ammunition factory was a well-defended, fortified structure that provided the Barrage Boys with a secure base of operations for their raids. And she was going to take it. Her recon had revealed one weakness, an ancient sewerage pipe that the Barrage Boys were not aware of. Using it to infiltrate the factory, Cake or Death were able to ambush and take out the leadership of the Barrage Boys before they knew what was going on. After forcing the survivors to surrender, Martha Pickles took control of the gang, essentially merging it into her own, much smaller operation. The newly strengthened Cake or Death proved to be a dangerous force. Within a few months they had taken control of the other gangs in the district, and had quickly become one of the largest in the city. Lead by the renamed Mrs Mothrapickles, the gang had effective control over the area around Chryslus Castle, and held a stretch of territory that nearly reached the downtown district. Her raids targeted traders and scavengers, although she was not above taking opportunistic hits at larger communities where possible. Besides the usual booties of guns, chems and caps, her raiders also targeted supplies of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes and other such baked desserts. One thing did present an obstacle to their growth, however. For some reason, Mrs Mothrapickles took a disliking to David David David David David David Plop, the leader of the Wrecking Crew. While this could have been a simple feud between two different raider gangs, there were a number of matters that made it so much more than that. For starters, the two gangs didn’t even have any overlapping or even bordering territory. Rather, it seemed to be some personal matter between the two leaders that neither was willing to discuss. Cake or Death’s rise to prominence was such that the Army of Revolution considered them to be a threat to their operations and aimed to prevent them from attacking their forces in the lead up to the Revolutionary War. This was achieved by buying Mrs Mothrapickles off with a factory-sealed case of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes, an offer that she could not refuse. Consequently, the gang remained aloof from the unfolding conflict, but that did not prevent them from soaking up stray soldiers after its end and the Army’s collapse. In the years since the war, Cake or Death has remained near the top of the food chain of Detroit’s raider gangs. The gang has been consistently rated as the second or third biggest by Motown Pirate Radio, constantly trading places with the Wrecking Crew. This fact serves as a source of constant frustration for Mothrapickles, but she is also aware that any war between the two gangs would likely end up destroying both. Description Despite their size and capable leadership, Cake or Death are best known for their leader’s focus on snack food. Mrs Mothrapickles has an obsession with baked desserts (specifically Fancy Lads Snack Cakes) and other sweets, and bases her gang’s operations around the acquisition of such above all else. While they do still raid for chems, weapons, caps and other loots, cupcakes and their ilk are the primary goal of their operations. (Should somebody set up a functioning Slocums’ Joe in the Detroit Wasteland, Mrs Mothrapickles would likely conquer it just for the donuts). Otherwise, the gang is largely conventional in its operations. The skilled leadership of Mrs Mothrapickles results in its operations usually being well planned and focused, which has contributed to its overall success. Chem abuse, while present within the gang, is also less noticeable then in other raider groups due to their focus on snack foods instead; rather than getting high off Jet, many of its members opt for a sugar buzz instead. Locations Cake or Death occupy a number of city blocks on the eastern side of the Detroit Wasteland, pushing up against the territories controlled by Chryslus Castle. Much of the region is industrial wasteland, full of derelict and often half-collapsed buildings, warehouses and factories. While these locations provide the gang with plenty of shelters and hideouts, they also are havens for feral ghouls and other dangerous creatures. The centrepiece of the gang’s territories is the RNG Ammunition Factory. Still intact despite the great war and centuries of neglect, this structure has been turned into a veritable fortress under their control. A section of the uppermost floor is given over to Mrs Mothrapickles’ personal quarters and snack cake stash. Equipment Cake or Death are one of the better equipped raider gangs in the Detroit Wasteland, but ultimately they suffer the same technological shortfalls and lack of skills that characterise many other Raider groups. Most of their weapons are unsophisticated, consisting of pipe guns or simple pre-war firearms, although their lieutenants might often carry more advanced automatic weapons. In recent years, salvaged Foundry-made rifles have also found their way into the gang’s ranks. Despite this, Mrs Mothrapickles insists on a certain degree of pride in the gang’s appearance, resulting in them generally being cleaner and better dressed then the average raider, even if said dress often is overlaid with scratch-built armour. Notable Members Mrs Mothrapickles The leader and founder of Cake or Death, Mrs Mothrapickles (born Martha Pickles) is the genius who turned a small-time band of standover men and cake thieves into a powerful raider gang. She possesses a keen, objective-oriented mindset that allows her to plot the best course of action to get whatever it is she wants. However, she also has a deep-seated love of snack cakes that has resulted in her current obesity. Consequently, Mrs Mothrapickles does not take to the field nearly as often as she used to, and rather controls things from her throne at the top of the RNG Ammunition Factory. Category:Raiders Category:Groups Category:Michigan